The following information shall serve as a guide for collection and referral of patient specimens to ChildLab. We ask our clients to adhere to these policies to ensure specimen integrity.

Standard Labeling Procedure

Positive patient identification and accurate specimen labeling is essential for reliable specimen analysis and reporting. The label must contain 2 identifiers

For specimens collected in physician offices and other referring facilities, standard label requirements include the following information on the specimen label:

Primary Identifier and Patient Name

Patient Name - First and last (no nicknames or abbreviations)
Secondary Identifier – Requisition or ChildLink™ barcode number, medical record number, Date of Birth or other unique identifier.
Date and Time of Collection
Name of Collector

At the request of the client, the labels will be supplied for specimen labeling.

Improperly Labeled Specimens

Specimens may be considered unacceptable for analysis if:

The specimen label contains incomplete/incorrect patient name or medical record number/date of birth. A specimen label must contain 2 identifiers.
A label is not affixed to the specimen.

Notification of unacceptable specimens will be made by ChildLab to the client. Written documentation of the event will be included on the patient report..

A requisition must accompany the specimen and must have the same primary and secondary identifier and include the date and time of collection.

Specimen Collection Procedures

Blood and Urine Collections:

Blood Collections	Blood Culture
Urine- 24 Hour Collections	Urine Culture
Urine- Random Collections

Culture Collections:

Chlamydia Trachomatis Culture	Fungal Culture
Genito- Urinary Tract Culture	Mycobacterial Culture
Respiratory Tract Culture	Sterile Body Fluid Culture
Stool Culture	Superficial Wound/ Exudate Culture
Viral Culture Including Herpes Simplex Culture

Stool Collections:

Clostridium Difficile- Associated Colitis Toxin Test	Giardia/ Cryptosporidium (GCR) Antigen Test
Helicobacter Pylori Antigen Test	Ova and Parasite Test
Stool Culture

Other Collections:

Bordetella Pertussis/ B. Parapertussis Polymerase Chain Reaction	Pin Worm Test
Streptococcal Pharyngitis Direct Antigen Test
Lead and Hemoglobin Filter Card Kit